Common Text
Xanthean Text
Kashehino Text
Cylus 7, 718
Qit'ria sat around her fire, sharpening her many blades with the whetstone she'd gotten from the man who'd shown her how to use it. She never did catch his name, but that was fine by her. The less people to bother her the better. And while she was no master at the sharpening of a blade, seeing as she had no file, no oil, she managed to make a decent go of it. She smiled fondly as she looked upon her plethora of weapons. It was good that she'd managed to learn at least some proper care for them. They were more family to her than any person she'd met on this island since her arrival last arc.
Her eyes fell on the many tents that dotted the edge of the tree line that indicated the entry into the Scaltoth Jungle. She was not the only hunter interested in the constellions this day. She remembered how two days back the fervor all started over a simple cloak. She had been sitting on a crate, eating a haunch of meat and sipping on some wine she'd purchased from Cally's after having dropped off her delivery of meat for Faith's restaurant. She hadn't seen the healer the last few times she'd stopped in, but she assumed that the healer was busy with the new babies.
And while Qit ate and drank in the market square, a young woman approached the fur trader she did business with. Qit had liked that man. He often gave her specific creatures to hunt, and gave her a fair deal for her pelts. She didn't have much need for money, but she had more than enough pelts for her own use, so selling the extra seemed a decent way to go. Maybe there would be something nice to buy one day, but she doubted it. She made or earned nearly everything she owned.
The woman was wearing a dark cloak, the back of which was glowing under the light of the moons of Cylus. It was a curious effect, one that was noticed by many that were lingering in the square. The glow was dull, faded it seemed. Qit'ria could hear the conversation. It seemed the woman was the merchant's daughter, and the light of her cloak was fading.
"No one is hunting constellions right now lovely. It's Cylus, and they reign supreme in darkness. You'll have to wait until next season. They are far too rare and expensive right now. Why pay twenty fold now when we can get them cheaper in a season or two."
Qit'ria, never the patient one, hopped up and approached the pair. "I hunt it."
The merchant looked at her in surprise, "This isn't like beavers or deer love. Constellions are packhunters, and hunt at night. I can't ask you to do that, too dangerous."
Qit's face turned hard. She glowered, then scowled, then glared. "I hunt!"
She turned away from the pair and made her way out of town, to head westward. It was two days journey from the town, and would be her first proper visit into it. And though she was the first to head that way, it seemed several other hunters were interested in the challenge as well.
And so back around her fire, Qit continued to set about her preparations. She watched as a handful of hunters all entered the jungle, and she shook her head. They were premature, in her opinion, and she could hear their movements from here. They weren't being careful, nor quiet. She was sure they'd be dead in a few breaks. Oh well, perhaps they could at least placate some of the packs, serve as distraction, or stomach fillers. Qit'ria pulled some ashes from her fire with a stick, and scooped them into a bowl. Using a stone, she ground them into a fine powder. She mixed in a little water, and stirred with her fingers, before adding a bit more to get the consistency she wanted.
This resulted in a black paint like substance. She gathered a dollop in her fingers, and applied it liberally to her skin, first around her eyes, then forehead and cheeks, all the way down to her neck. She repeated the process until every inch of exposed skin was covered in the black paint. Then she remembered her eyelids, and closed them and applied it there too. Blinking several times to spread it out best, she was content.
She cast her gaze to the sky, seeing clouds beginning to come in, but not yet blocking the moons' light. She would wait. To hunt now mean to make you an easier target. She fully intended to take every advantage she could. She checked over every weapon she had, before equipping them. Her javelins in their strap around her cloaked back, her chakram from her belt, her knives in various pockets, alone so as to not clink together, her sword strapped to her left thigh, and her spear in hand. She was ready, and waiting.
Kashehino laid next to the fire, tail flopping about lazily. She was always quiet before a hunt, and for that Qit was grateful. It wouldn't be much longer now until she'd set out. And there was a bottle of wine with her name on it for when she came back victorious.
Xanthean Text
Kashehino Text
Cylus 7, 718
Qit'ria sat around her fire, sharpening her many blades with the whetstone she'd gotten from the man who'd shown her how to use it. She never did catch his name, but that was fine by her. The less people to bother her the better. And while she was no master at the sharpening of a blade, seeing as she had no file, no oil, she managed to make a decent go of it. She smiled fondly as she looked upon her plethora of weapons. It was good that she'd managed to learn at least some proper care for them. They were more family to her than any person she'd met on this island since her arrival last arc.
Her eyes fell on the many tents that dotted the edge of the tree line that indicated the entry into the Scaltoth Jungle. She was not the only hunter interested in the constellions this day. She remembered how two days back the fervor all started over a simple cloak. She had been sitting on a crate, eating a haunch of meat and sipping on some wine she'd purchased from Cally's after having dropped off her delivery of meat for Faith's restaurant. She hadn't seen the healer the last few times she'd stopped in, but she assumed that the healer was busy with the new babies.
And while Qit ate and drank in the market square, a young woman approached the fur trader she did business with. Qit had liked that man. He often gave her specific creatures to hunt, and gave her a fair deal for her pelts. She didn't have much need for money, but she had more than enough pelts for her own use, so selling the extra seemed a decent way to go. Maybe there would be something nice to buy one day, but she doubted it. She made or earned nearly everything she owned.
The woman was wearing a dark cloak, the back of which was glowing under the light of the moons of Cylus. It was a curious effect, one that was noticed by many that were lingering in the square. The glow was dull, faded it seemed. Qit'ria could hear the conversation. It seemed the woman was the merchant's daughter, and the light of her cloak was fading.
"No one is hunting constellions right now lovely. It's Cylus, and they reign supreme in darkness. You'll have to wait until next season. They are far too rare and expensive right now. Why pay twenty fold now when we can get them cheaper in a season or two."
Qit'ria, never the patient one, hopped up and approached the pair. "I hunt it."
The merchant looked at her in surprise, "This isn't like beavers or deer love. Constellions are packhunters, and hunt at night. I can't ask you to do that, too dangerous."
Qit's face turned hard. She glowered, then scowled, then glared. "I hunt!"
She turned away from the pair and made her way out of town, to head westward. It was two days journey from the town, and would be her first proper visit into it. And though she was the first to head that way, it seemed several other hunters were interested in the challenge as well.
And so back around her fire, Qit continued to set about her preparations. She watched as a handful of hunters all entered the jungle, and she shook her head. They were premature, in her opinion, and she could hear their movements from here. They weren't being careful, nor quiet. She was sure they'd be dead in a few breaks. Oh well, perhaps they could at least placate some of the packs, serve as distraction, or stomach fillers. Qit'ria pulled some ashes from her fire with a stick, and scooped them into a bowl. Using a stone, she ground them into a fine powder. She mixed in a little water, and stirred with her fingers, before adding a bit more to get the consistency she wanted.
This resulted in a black paint like substance. She gathered a dollop in her fingers, and applied it liberally to her skin, first around her eyes, then forehead and cheeks, all the way down to her neck. She repeated the process until every inch of exposed skin was covered in the black paint. Then she remembered her eyelids, and closed them and applied it there too. Blinking several times to spread it out best, she was content.
She cast her gaze to the sky, seeing clouds beginning to come in, but not yet blocking the moons' light. She would wait. To hunt now mean to make you an easier target. She fully intended to take every advantage she could. She checked over every weapon she had, before equipping them. Her javelins in their strap around her cloaked back, her chakram from her belt, her knives in various pockets, alone so as to not clink together, her sword strapped to her left thigh, and her spear in hand. She was ready, and waiting.
Kashehino laid next to the fire, tail flopping about lazily. She was always quiet before a hunt, and for that Qit was grateful. It wouldn't be much longer now until she'd set out. And there was a bottle of wine with her name on it for when she came back victorious.
Purchase
2x Bottle of Saun's Heat Wine - 12gn
